FIFTY FOUR

Kangin slammed his fist on the table after reading that article on a gossip portal. The image of Yonghwa’s look of surrender surged through him making him even angrier. He was played for a fool by the two and he should have seen that. Kangin shouldn’t have believed Yonghwa so easily—the jerk is definitely a good actor. And he needed to get one hell of a good revenge. This is no longer about money, this will be about his pride that those two trampled on.

When the idea hit him, he took his phone and made the call.

After a few minutes, Kangin winced and thank the person on the other line before swiping the end call.

There was no record of Seo Joohyun in the hospital.

Now he has to play his cards well, the two are pros.

~~~

Blood rushed through his head as he read the article his manager forwarded him. His very first thought was that he shouldn’t let Seohyun know this. Her condition was not good enough for her to get through another blow like this. She will surely worry and it won’t be good for her.

With the advice of his manager, Yonghwa only spent a few hours in the hospital to take advantage of the time so he could slip out undetected. One of their handlers came to pick him up and provided the necessary disguise as he went out of her room. Nothing short of the ordinary happened that day and he assured Seohyun repeatedly that he didn’t notice anybody recognizing him when he was in the airport and as he came in the hospital. He had always been careful especially after meeting Seohyun.

The call was finally answered and he greeted Taeyeon almost breathlessly then went on, “Something came up. There's a rumor circulating about my being in the hospital.”

Taeyeon, surprisingly calm, spoke after he related the news, “So I’ve heard.”

“Does she know?” Yonghwa stood by the window looking down on the world behind the glass. The morning sun shone amidst the gray clouds outside his hotel room in Jakarta. They just flew in early that morning and he could only be thankful that the news came out hours after the mob of fans swarm on them at the airport.

It could have been chaotic.

“I don’t know yet. I just arrived from a business trip in Hong Kong. I haven’t gotten any calls from her so maybe not yet.”

That brought a small sigh of relief, “Can we keep it that way?”

There was a short silence before Taeyeon replied, “Not really possible but I’ll see what I can do.”

“With her condition, she can’t—”

“I know… I know…” The woman deliberately cut him off, they were on the same mindset after all. She had been worried about Seohyun when Jessica, her secretary, called her before she boarded the plane back to Korea. Maintaining a composed tone, she asked, “What did your management say?”

“President Han flew in this morning and called for an emergency meeting. They’re not releasing any statement until then.” The mere reminder of it made his heart pound a little bit harder, “I’ll meet him after this call.”

“Good. On my part, we’ll see about the fans’ reactions to this and the media coverage. Seohyun is still on leave for the rest of the week so she won’t be going anywhere without me.”

“That’s a relief,” Yonghwa looked up when the door opened and his manager peeped in. He continued softly, “Please help me out on her and keep her and our baby safe.”

“I will. Don’t worry.”

“Thank you so much,” he nodded at his manager who gestured at his watch.

“Okay, I’m on my way to her house now. You take care too and let me know as soon as your meeting is over. Don’t worry so much.”

“Yes, thank you.” When Taeyeon ended the call, he grabbed his jacket and followed his hyung to the CEO’s suite. The old man was seated behind a mahogany desk talking to someone on the phone when they came in. Two directors, his secretary and the company lawyer were also present and the moment they took their seat, President Han ended his call.

The conversation started with the manager explaining what happened the night Yonghwa got the call from his mother and he rushed back to Korea. The room was silent after his manager spoke. President Han pushed his chair back, his face was beet red, “How can you be this careless?!” It was as if he had been keeping the fume inside him for the past minutes. He directed his attention to Yonghwa, “We talked about this and you agreed that you will do your part!”

“I’m so sorry, I know it was very impulsive but she was in the hospital and in danger,” Yonghwa replied in a small voice but he was determined to face the president with dignity. He knew he made a mistake and he deserved this and everything else that would probably happen. It was better him than Seohyun.

“You could have called me! I could have arranged for something that won’t result to this!” He dropped the newspaper on the table that everyone in the room fidgeted again. President Han turned to his manager, “And what about you?! Why did you let him go just like that without any ?!”

His hyung looked pale but he managed to open his lips, “We—”

“Hyung didn’t know that it was Seohyun because I got that call from my mother and she didn’t tell me it was about her,” Yonghwa reasoned.

President Han raked his fingers through his hair, took a deep breath and asked rather calmly, “Did you talk to her?”

“I talked to her Director.”

“What did she say?” He took a seat again.

“She will release a statement depending on the fans reactions and the media coverage.”

President Han harrumphed and sneered, “Your fans are enraged! The fans of your band are enraged! They’re starting to snoop and they will actually find something because there is something!” He leaned back and massaged his nape, “This is what I was telling you about. Love is all roses and butterflies until like this happe